Text -- Ezekiel 28:1-8 (NET)

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘Your heart is proud and you said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas”– yet you are a man and not a god, though you think you are godlike. 28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you. 28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself; you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. 28:5 By your great skill in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart is proud because of your wealth. 28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are godlike, 28:7 I am about to bring foreigners against you, the most terrifying of nations. They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, and they will defile your splendor. 28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently in the heart of the seas.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Eze 28:2

¹ tn Or “ruler” (NIV, NCV).

² tn Heb “lifted up.”

sn See Prov 16:5.

³ tn Or “I am divine.”

⁴ tn Heb “and you made your heart (mind) like the heart (mind) of gods.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:3

¹ sn Or perhaps “Danel” (so TEV), referring to a ruler known from Canaanite legend. See the note on “Daniel” in 14:14. A reference to Danel (preserved in legend at Ugarit, near the northern end of the Phoenician coast) makes more sense here when addressing Tyre than in 14:14.

² sn The tone here is sarcastic, reflecting the ruler’s view of himself.

NET Notes: Eze 28:5

¹ tn Or “wisdom.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:6

¹ tn Heb “because of your making your heart like the heart of gods.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:7

¹ sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.

² tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”

NET Notes: Eze 28:8

¹ tn Heb “you will die the death of the slain.”